[cma-l] Vaizey confirms no FM switch-off
Cathy Aitchison
cathy.aitchison at btinternet.com
Sat Feb 19 12:30:03 GMT 2011
I think this shows how difficult it will be to convince commercial radio
companies to support any move to digital radio which makes them give up
their places on the analogue spectrum to anyone else, including
community radio.
From the article in Radio Today on 17 Feb (freshly written ans clearly
not authored by DCMS) we can get the following:
~ Ed Vaizey had a meeting with almost 20 MPs from around the country
~ William Morris, Chief Exec of UKRD, was present and was delighted
about the outcome of the meeting
~ at the meeting Ed Vaizey confirmed that the analogue spectrum would
not be switched off [which we already knew]
I Googled and searched Twitter to find out:
1. MPs attending
One of the MPs at the meeting was Elizabeth Truss, Conservative, MP for
South West Norfolk. Her constituency includes a UKRD station (KL.FM
radio in King's Lynn). She writes this in her February diary on her website:
"Digital Radio: Elizabeth, fellow MPs and representatives from UKRD
Group (owner of KL.FM) met Ed Vaizey, Communications Minister, about the
impact switching to digital radio will have on local radio stations like
King's Lynn's KL.FM radio."
http://www.elizabethtruss.com/monthly-report/february-2011
I haven't found out who the other MPs were but if I were to search
further, I might find this map useful:
http://www.ukrd.com/portfolio/
2. how Twitter spread the news:
The Radio Today article got some good publicity via Twitter:
@MediaUKRadio 's tweet was sent out at 10.30 on 17th Feb:
**"
Vaizey confirms no FM switch-off (Radio
Today)http://muk.fm/141r #radionews
<http://twitter.com/search?q=%23radionews> #medianews
<http://twitter.com/search?q=%23medianews> "
@RadioToday 's own tweet was sent out at 10.37 same day and said: *
<http://twitter.com/RadioToday>*"
RadioToday.co.uk: Vaizey confirms no FM switch-off http://vry.gd/PQH "
Several people retweeted the latter almost immediately, including
@thegriffo2011 who addressed it to more than twenty people/organisations
over the next 20 hours. Nothing wrong with that, of course - it looks
like very good news which should be shared widely....
But note the last tthree words in the intro of the article:
"Broadcast Minister Ed Vaizey has confirmed to a group of MP's that the
FM waveband will not be switched off and will remain as one of a number
of multi platform transmission options for *local commercial radio*."
[my emphasis]
----
So now what for community radio?
~ was your MP one of the almost 20 at the meeting?
~ if you have a community radio station in a constituency which includes
a commercial radio station belonging to a large and influential group,
does your MP know all about YOU and what digital radio implementation
would mean to you?
~ what does it take to get 20 MPs together with a Minister to present
the community radio point of view and to get the meeting so widely
publicised?
No, I'm afraid this is not a case of sense trickling upwards, just some
very clever spin to make it look like everyone is winning.
Regardless of your views on other aspects of implementing digital radio,
be very aware that if the implementation is delayed or scrapped as a
result of strong campaigns like this, you can expect fewer not more
opportunities for community radio on the dial.
Cathy Aitchison
http://twitter.com/CathyAitchison
----------
ROBERT TYLER wrote:
> Be careful of this. This press release did not come from DCMS.
>
>
>
> --- On *Fri, 18/2/11, F a r i /<dontzzzthroughit at yahoo.com>/* wrote:
>
>
> From: F a r i <dontzzzthroughit at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Vaizey confirms no FM switch-off
> To: "CMA-L" <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
> Date: Friday, 18 February, 2011, 13:23
>
> Sense does trickle upwards, then.
> Super news.
>
> Fari sound <http://www.faribradley.co.uk>
>
> Six Pillars to Persia
> <http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/SixPillarsToPersia/%7E6/2>
>
>
>
> --- On *Fri, 2/18/11, CMA-L /<cma-l at commedia.org.uk>/* wrote:
>
>
> From: CMA-L <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: [cma-l] Vaizey confirms no FM switch-off
> To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk, comradio-l at commedia.org.uk
> Date: Friday, February 18, 2011, 8:39 AM
>
> Source: http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6750.5
>
> Broadcast Minister Ed Vaizey has confirmed to a group of MP's
> that the
> FM waveband will not be switched off and will remain as one of a
> number of multi platform transmission options for local commercial
> radio.
>
> He also confirmed that he was prepared to take a look at the
> recent
> decision by Ofcom to limit licence renewal terms for local
> commercial
> stations to just seven years.
>
> He advised MP's present that the 2015 switchover date will only
> proceed if certain criteria are met and the listeners are clearly
> behind the policy.
>
> Almost twenty MP's from across the UK met with the Minister,
> and the
> Secretary of State who was also present, to express their concerns
> about the implications of Government policy on local radio and
> expressed strong support for their respective local stations
> and their
> desire to see them prosper and flourish in the future.
>
> The Minister confirmed that FM will remain as a broadcast
> platform for
> years to come and also, in response to questioning from MP's
> about the
> recently imposed seven year licence term on commercial licence
> renewals, agreed that he would review the matter and would
> welcome the
> input of MP's in reviewing this matter sometime in the next twelve
> months or so.
>
> William Rogers, Chief Executive of UKRD, said he was delighted
> with
> the outcome of the meeting and expressed his thanks and
> appreciation
> to all the MP's who attended to press the case for "critically
> important reviews" in key areas of policy.
>
> "That the Minister has confirmed that FM will remain for years to
> come, especially for those stations with no DAB future, is of
> course
> welcome but what is also really helpful, and something we
> should all
> welcome as an industry, was his open and constructive response
> to the
> question raised by MP's to review the length of licences for local
> commercial stations which were in effect cut from 12 to 7
> years in the
> latest Ofcom review," said Rogers.
>
> "MP's were encouraged to make representations on this matter and,
> indeed, to even propose a policy position in this respect and
> we will
> be working with them over the coming months to ensure that
> this issue
> remains firmly on the Governments agenda of things that need to be
> looked at again."
>
> "We need a dynamic and vibrant local radio sector with a
> bright and
> genuinely multi-platform digital future. Of course DAB is one
> of many
> such platforms but the prescriptive, poorly planned and
> inappropriate
> imposition of this single platform simply gets in the way of what
> consumer choice is all about."
>
> Source: http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6750.5
>
> \\
>
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